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Mississippi Edition: Monday, September 12th

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by Sid Scott on

Officer Indicted In Columbus Killing

A white former Columbus police officer is awaiting trial for shooting and killing a 26-year-old black man almost a year ago. The grand jury returned the indictment of former officer Canyon Boykin for manslaughter -- asserting Boykin is criminally liable for the death of Ricky Ball. Even with the indictment, there is little agreement between police and community members on key facts of the case -- including whether Ball was armed at the time of his death. We spoke with Matt Kessler -- who has been covering the case for The Guardian. He tells us the incident that led to Ball's death started with a traffic stop.

Memorial Weighs Decision After Reduced Medicaid Payments

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport says it will likely sell its mental health services in light of reduced Medicaid payments. Chief executive Gary Marchand says Memorial is losing about $10 million a year thanks to reduced Medicaid payments. The hospital has even sued the state over the reductions -- which Marchand says started in 2013. He tells MPB's Evelina Burnett the hospital's goals in selling its mental health services are to preserve employees’ jobs and maintain access for patients.

Everyday Tech

Preparing For Hurricanes In September

September is traditionally the busiest month of the hurricane season. Almost 80 percent of named storms since 1950 have occurred during the month. Rafael Lemaitre is public affairs director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He tells us hurricane preparation is key all year round -- and especially in September.